But there is one thing Whalen is certain of:
"I know it's coming," she said of her program. "People are entitled to their opinions. But it's coming. It takes work, it's one day at a time. But I know we can be successful here. I'm excited for those moments when the team is gelling, the kids are feeling good. I know it's coming for this group."
[...]
It's been a growing process for Whalen, too. She has learned some hard lessons. She has had to pare down her playbook, keep things simple. Coming out of the WNBA, she brought a thick playbook, but it was too much. She is working to improve things like coaching against zone press schemes, which isn't seen much in the pros. Or baseline inbounds plays.
She has gotten better at utilizing timeouts. Thursday after Scalia hit a three-pointer to break a 59-all tie, Whalen called time. The stretch run was coming and she wanted her players — who'd logged big minutes — to be rested.
Whalen has worked hard on relating to her players; last year's situation with Destiny Pitts and her ultimate transfer were difficult learning experiences.
"A tough situation," she said. "You have to work to get to know players, build that relationship. But you also have to hold firm. I've held firm more this year, in terms of, 'These are the expectations, this is how it's going to be.' "
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